This book of 19 chapters aims to show how the study of the history of cartography in Ibero-America has progressed in recent years, largely through the influence of Anglo-Saxon scholars such as Brian Harley and Denis Cosgrove. Harley, a geographer, was one of the first to theorise the history of cartography, arguing that maps are not neutral documents but reflect the exercise of power. From this perspective research into the history of cartography necessitates the deconstruction of the mapping process, revealing the purposes for which maps were compiled and the motivations of their authors. Hence it is argued that such research requires both detailed archival work and an interdisciplinary approach that draws on a range of fields such as cultural geography, semiotics, iconography and Foucauldian sociology. The papers presented in this volume have been selected by Mendoza Vargas and Lois to represent this new approach, which was marked by the first Simposio Iberoamericano de Historia de la Cartografía in Buenos Aires in 2006. While a few of the contributions to the volume have been written especially for this book, most are case studies taken from conferences held since then. The majority are studies of late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century maps, and the essays have a strong focus on Argentina and Mexico, possibly reflecting the interests of the editors and the location of the symposia. There is a total absence of papers on maps of the Andean region or Central America, and only one chapter touches on indigenous mapping.

The introduction is brief, being largely a résumé of the papers that the book contains, and it could usefully have provided a fuller overview of theoretical developments in the history of cartography in general. The book is divided into four thematic sections, though in many cases the essays address issues that straddle several sections. In the first and perhaps most diverse section, ‘Cartographic Representations’, two papers compare the approaches of different nationalities or social groups to representing space. Hence Francisco Roque de Oliveira compares Portuguese and Chinese mapping in Macau noting that although both sets of maps were strategic in intent, the Portuguese attempted to represent the city realistically whereas the Chinese displayed it stylistically and symbolically. On the other hand, in his detailed deconstruction of a map of Huaxtepec in 1580, Francisco Javier Moreno Núñez shows how Spanish and indigenous forms of representation were not separate but combined. While this paper draws on recent theoretical advances, it would have benefited from being considered in the context of other research that has been conducted on indigenous Mexican maps, particularly by Barbara Mundy.

The second section deals with maps produced for the purposes of controlling and defending territory. Two case studies deal with Spain's attempt to control territory in Cataluña and Morocco, and another by Pinzón Ríos discusses maps drawn up for claiming and defending territory in the Pacific. Perhaps the most interesting study is that by Fernando Williams, who uses local archival sources to show how the Welsh attempted to appropriate territory in central Patagonia by replacing the indigenous toponyms with Welsh ones. In general the studies in this section are effective in placing the maps within their historical context, but with the exception of Williams' study could perhaps demonstrate more clearly the precise linkage between the historical imperative and the execution of the maps.

The final two sections are both concerned with the physical production of maps and the personnel involved, particularly in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They reveal continuity from the colonial period and the initial reliance of independent states on foreign cartographers. During the nineteenth century scientific mapping developed in the hands of military engineers, while the growing concern with resources saw geologists become more involved in making maps. Even though there were technical advances in map production, Marta Penhos' study of the expeditions involved in drawing the boundary between Argentina and Brazil at the end of the eighteenth century shows how, through the use of symbols and colour, maps continued to reflect the role of the cartographer as artist as well as technician. Also, although they show how map production became more technically proficient, the studies clearly reveal how maps were not ‘neutral’ documents but were generally forms of political propaganda serving to promote national identity, modernity or opportunities for foreign investment. Scholars of the independence period in Argentina and Brazil will find these studies particularly interesting.

The authors are to be credited with including a large number of maps in the book, though unfortunately they are in black and white only and the small format of the volume means that much of the detail of some of the larger maps is lost. An index to the volume would also have been helpful.

Although few of the essays engage extensively with the recent theoretical literature on the history of cartography, they are all concerned with the deconstruction of the mapping process and base their analyses on solid archival research. The book as a whole reveals a maturing of scholarship related to the history of cartography of Latin America in recent years, and it is an important contribution to the field. It will be of particular interest to historians and geographers of nineteenth-century Argentina and Brazil, and to a lesser extent Mexico. It is to be hoped that future volumes will include studies from other regions.